Stuart Gillard biography

Born in Alberta, Stuart Gillard broke into acting with a role in Gordon Pinsent’s The Rowdyman (1972), filmed in Newfoundland. More roles followed, and Gillard began to fill his résumé both with American productions filmed in Canada such as The Neptune Factor (1973) starring Ben Gazzara and Ernest Borgnine, and She Cried Murder (1974) starring Telly Savalas, as well as Canadian films such as Why Rock the Boat (1974). He won an Etrog award (precursor to the Genie) for his role in the latter film, but suddenly found that his acting career in Canada was over. "There was a backlash against the award," Gillard told the Toronto Sun in 2002. “If you won, the attitude was, 'Oh, I guess you'll want more than scale now.'"

Gillard decided the smart thing would be to move to Los Angeles. Starting over again, but this time in a larger pond, Gillard turned to writing, which paid better, to complement his acting. He signed on as a writer with The Sonny and Cher Show, and along with the show’s other writers, was nominated for an Emmy award in 1976. He then moved on to Donny and Marie and Mork and Mindy. He also scored the occasional role as an actor, including a guest appearance on Eight is Enough and a role in the feature film F.I.S.T. (1978) starring Sylvester Stallone. In 1982, he decided to try his hand at directing as well, and wrote and directed the feature film Paradise, starring Phoebe Cates.

Since then, he has alternated between working in the States, directing episodes of shows such as Charmed and Legacy, and working in Canada, where he has helmed episodes of Road to Avonlea, Bordertown, My Secret Identity and The Outer Limits. Feature films include Rocket Man (1997) starring Beau Bridges and Harland Williams, and Kart Racer (2003) starring Randy Quaid.